Speech Acts

The Understanding of Speech Acts

The theory of speech act is started with the assumptions that the minimal unit of human communication is not a sentence or other expression, but rather that the performance of certain kinds of acts like making statement, asking question, giving order or thanking. For example, speech act is the act of making an utterance in which the speaker is performing a certain kind of act. The speech occurs when the speakers (S) produces signal which represents a thought, idea, or message that is conveyed to the hearer (H). in this case, the speaker is performing an act. The performance is: when the speaker (S) makes utterance (U) to the hearer (H) in context (C) where utterance (U) consists of spoken with prosody in language (L) (Austin cited in Allan, 1986:164). The meaning of utterance involves the speaker’s intends to communicate to hearer and the hearer should understand the utterance through his recognition of speaker’s communicative intention. It is in accordance with the speaker’s intention o influence the hearer’s belief, attitude, or behavior.

 Component of Speech Act

Bach and Harnish state that there are four components of speech act those are utterance, locutionary, illocutionary, perlocutionary. The first component of speech act (in the utterance act) is the one in which speaker (S) utters (U) an (E) expression using (L) language to (H) the hearer in a (C) context. The second component of speech act is “locutionary act” in this act speaker (S) says to the (H) hearer in context (C) that so-and-so. The third component of speech act is “illocutionary act” in this act speaker (S) does such-and-such in context (C). The last component of speech act is “perlocutionary act” in this act speaker (S) affects to the hearer (H) in certain way.

These acts are intimately related. In uttering expression (E), speaker (S) says something to the hearer (H): in saying something to the herarer (H), speaker (S) does something then by doing something. Speaker (S) affects the hearer (H). Moreover, the success of the perlocutionary act depends on the hearer (H’s) identifying one of the other acts (Bach 1979:3). The expressions in which those 4 components of the speech act:

1)             Hello (Haffard and Heasley, 1981:15).

2)             Golda Menir, the prime minister, is a woman of Andiranced years        (Allan, 1986:179).

3)             I request that you pass the salt (Allan, 1986:206)

4)             There is hornet in your left ear (Haffard and Heasley, 1983:243)

The expression in the example 1) is an utterance. It shows that the speaker says “hello” in certain occasion to the hearer. In the example 2), the sentence is locutionary act. It shows that the speaker uttered in polite sense. In the example 3), the sentence is categorized as illocutionary art. There is an act expressed by the speaker to the hearer, that is act or requesting. In the example 4), there is perlocutionary act. It affects the hearer to be panic, scream and scratch wildly at the hearer’s ear.

2.2.1        1. Locutionary Act

The locutionary act, the act of saying something, provides the hearer with the core of information from which to infer the speaker’s communicative. Other items of information contribute substantially to this identification, especially when speaker is speaking nonliterally or indirectly. But even when speakers is speakeing literally, such that his communicative intent is made more or less explicit by what speaker says, his intent still has to be inferred by the hearer.

Austin distinguishes three aspects of the locutionary act. To say anything is always to perform the act uttering certain noises (a phonetic act) and the utterance is phone, always to perform the act of using that (sentences) or its constituent with a certain more or less definite sense and a more or less definite reference (rhetic) (Bach and Harnish, 1979:19). The utterance expressing locutionary acts are, for example:

1)             Open the window!

2)             Please will you open the window (Allan, 1986:180)?

            Both of the examples above have a different sense. In the example 1), the sentences show that speaker uttered in impolite sense and in example 2), the speaker uttered in more polite sense. Everything that is said by the speaker is called locutionary act.

2.        Perlocutionary act

Perlocutionary act is the one in which the speaker affects the hearer in a certain way. Perlocutionary acts is what the speaker intends to communicate to the hearer. Unlike intentions in the illocutionary act, the intentions in the perlocutionary act need to be recognized or intended to be recognized. The can be intended to be recognized although in some case (such as misleading or impressing someone) the hearer is intended not to recognize them (Bach and Harrish, 1979:81).

According to Haffard and Heasly, the perlocutionary acts carried out by the speaker to contain an effect on the hearer and others (1982:243). The utterances which show perlocutionary act are, for example:

1)             There is a spider on your lap (Allan, 1986:176)

2)             I bet you a dollar, I can jump that puddle (Allan, 1986:176)

            In the example 1), there is an action by the speaker, when the speaker says there is a spider on his or her lap. The speaker may cause the hearer to panic, scream and scratch widely at hearer’s lap. In the example 2), there is behavioral response in the hearer when he speaker bets him or her dollar.

        Illocutionary Act

Haffard and Heasly explain the illocutionary act carried out by a speaker of an utterance is the act viewed in terms of utterance’s significance within a conventional system of social interaction. Illocutionary are acts defined by social conventions. Those considered as illocutionary acts are such as: the act of accosting, accusing, admitting, apologizing, challenging, complaining, condoling, congratulating, declining, deploring, giving, permission, giving way, greeting, leave-talking, mocking, naming, offering praising, promising, proposing marriage, protesting, recommending, surrendering, thanking, toasting (1983:244). The utterance which express illocutionary acts are, for example:

1)             I request that you pass the salt (Allan, 1986:206)

2)             I am awfully sorry I was not at the meeting this morning (Haffard and Heasly, 1983:244)

            In the example 1), there is an act in utterance expressed by it is speaker to the hearer, the act of requesting. In the example 2), the speaker expresses an act; the act apologizing. The act of apologizing is marked by word sorry.

            Allan also states that illocutionary act is performed by what speaker does in uttering (U) to hearer (H) in context (Allan, 1986:175). The illocutionary acts which are presented by what speaker say can be seem in the expression below:

1)             I promise to make max to a movie tomorrow (Allan, 1986:177)

2)             I declare that ball out (Allan, 1986:183)

It can be seen that in example 1), the speaker express an act the act expressed by the speaker is the act of promising then in the example 2), the speaker also expresses an act, the act expressed by the speaker of this utterance is declaring.